Terrence O'KeefeTerrence O'Keefe is content director at WATT Global Media. www.wattglobalmedia.com/contact-usFrom the Author - Page 20Cage-Free Laying SystemsAvian flu temporarily halts Rembrandt Foods’ growthThe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza that swept through the Upper Midwest this spring resulted in the loss of around 8 million of Rembrandt Foods’ hens. Rembrandt had grown from an idea on a business school paper to one of the world’s largest egg products companies in just 14 years. The company was the third largest egg producer in the U.S. in the February 2015 Egg Industry Top Egg Company survey, with 14.5 million hens housed on December 31, 2014. Expansion projects in the pipeline would bring the company’s hen numbers up to 23 million head by 2017. Then avian flu changed the company’s trajectory.Broilers & TurkeysEarly chick feeding adopted by Holland’s largest hatcheryThe Lagerwey broiler hatchery in the Netherlands, was recently expanded to accommodate more demand for chicks. The poultry industry in Western Europe is not integrated to the degree that is common in the U.S. Hatcheries in Europe typically have to compete to become chick suppliers for independent growers. Because of this, Evert Kampert, hatchery manager, Lagerwey, said that producing chicks of the highest quality is the company’s first priority.HomeMy daily 3 egg breakfast and lower serum cholesterolLast August, I faced a little bit of a health dilemma: I had been treated for high serum cholesterol levels and hypertension for more than a decade, but the blood pressure medicine wasn’t really controlling my hypertension anymore. I knew I needed to make some changes, because I had run out of pharmaceutical options. My cholesterol levels responded well to the medication, but my blood pressure was too high.Egg ProductionRembrandt Foods moving up the egg products value chainOne step forward in the process of the planned transformation from an egg products company to value-added ingredients supplier occurred this year when Rembrandt Foods opened a new research and development facility adjacent to its Spirit Lake, Iowa, headquarters. The research and development team that Rembrandt has put together will use the new facility to find new uses for the components of eggs as food ingredients.Egg ProductionAcceptance of enriched cage standards will require engagementUnfortunately, since UEP set these standard themselves for this voluntary program, it left egg producers open to spurious allegations that the space standard was set to restrict the supply of eggs and increase egg prices. These lawsuits have kept UEP from setting any space requirements for enriched colony housing. Believe it or not, I think keeping egg producers from setting their own density standards may wind up being a good thing.EggNorth American H5 avian flu not infecting humansAvian influenza virus in North American is low risk for infecting humans, unlike virus in Asia.Nutrition & FeedGlad I was wrong about Virginia Poultry Growers Co-opThe VirginiaPoultry Growers Cooperative has thrived and has announced plans to invest $62million in its processing plant, feed mill and grain elevator.Avian InfluenzaScience, not politics, needed to combat avian fluThe International Conference on Avian Influenza and Poultry Trade yielded several ideas for minimizing disruptions to trade during avian flu outbreaks.Egg ProductionConventional cages banned first in Oregon, WashingtonOregon and Washington may be the first U.S. states to banconventional cages for hens, even though many thought Proposition 2 would makeCalifornia first.Avian InfluenzaEngaging feed, swine, poultry producers with TwitterWATTAgNethosted its first Twitter chat on avian influenza to engage audience members inthe conversation on bird flu.Avian InfluenzaAvian flu and trade pits politics versus scienceFindingsolutions to the worldwide avian flu problem will require countries tocooperate and not use trade bans as a shield.Avian InfluenzaAnalysis: Time to rethink avian flu control strategyResearcher says that avian flu eradication strategies need to take advantage of new recombinant vaccines and not rely solely on killing.Previous PagePage 20 of 59Next Page
